3 Best Practices for Employee Wellness Programs

What are the best practices for employee wellness programs? How do you know you are administering your employee wellness program the “right” way? You might be giving financial incentives or started a lunchtime walking group, but how do you know your employee wellness program is working for both you and your employees?

Here are 3 best practices for employee wellness programs:

1. Create a Culture of Wellness - Make wellness part of your company culture. Easy to say but what does that look like? If you provide snacks or have a cafeteria, make sure you offer healthy alternatives. Ensure employees have an opportunity to get active during the day, whether it’s a quick walk at lunch or a recreational sports team after work. Creating a culture of wellness creates an environment where employees are healthy by default, which can make it easier to change behavior.
2. Make it Voluntary, Not Coercive - There’s an age-old debate about carrot rewards versus sticks. Should you offer a certain healthcare premium and then raise the rate for employees who refuse to quit smoking or exercise? Probably not. Make it voluntary and more of an incentive by offering a discount to participants, rather than penalties. Since employee wellness programs can be very personal, make them voluntary and, most importantly, make them positive.
3. Focus Results on Evidence - Keep “results” quantifiable. Base them on scientific evidence rather than qualitative feelings. This is another mechanism to protect employers from employees who feel like their employee wellness program favorites healthy employees or certain employees who participate. Focus on results of biometric screenings and results of programs that involve things like smoking cessation to keep everything objective.

Employee wellness programs need to be right for your organization in order to have an impact on your workforce’s overall health. Comment below to tell us what best practices for employee wellness programs you have implemented. What else are you doing to keep your employee wellness program on track?